MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2023 #6 - IN THE BACKWATERS

Green Heron, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

I made another trip with the kayak yesterday evening down at the Mississippi River. Sometimes the best things happen right after the start. This Green Heron was on the hunt next to one of the big beaver lodges. We both were a little surprised but after a couple seconds the heron turned towards the shore and flew into a tree and out of sight. This was the only shot I was able to make.

American Bullfrog, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

It seemed the number of bullfrogs had doubled over night. The loud sound the males make during the breeding season could be heard everywhere along the shore. The light was again perfect and I was able to get really close to some of the big fellows.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,

NATURE CLICKS #564 - AMERICAN BULLFROG

American Bullfrog, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

It was a gorgeous summer day, not too hot and not too humid, and we decided to paddle our kayaks this evening for a couple hours at Mud Lake. This part of the Mississippi River backwaters is separated by a dike structure from the main channel of the river and the current in there is very slow. The best part is that you almost never come back without any wildlife sightings. Today we had a number of different birds but none was close enough for a decent photo. We also watched muskrats, beavers, and turtles. But the best posing in the light of the setting sun came from some of American Bullfrogs. I have never seen so many of these big frogs at Mud Lake. They are a great subject to practice handholding the long lens in a kayak. The bullfrogs were pretty patient and let us paddle up really close to them, even below the minimum focal distance of about 102” (2.6m), before they dived down and moved away.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2022 #5 - LIFE ON THE DRIFTWOOD

Ring-billed Gulls like to rest on a long log in the water. You can tell by its color that it is a preferred place. The gull’s social behavior is fun to watch and if you wait long enough, they let you get really close.

I always looked for driftwood, often big trees, that stranded somewhere in the mud during our recent paddle trips with the kayak on the Mississippi River. These logs are a potential place where birds can perch or other animals, like muskrats or turtles enjoy a bath in the sun or just eat.

Background is everything for telling the story of a critter in its habitat. Getting a good background is not always easy while moving in a kayak but it can be very rewarding if the approach is thought through and timing, direction of light, and the acceptance of our presence by the animal come all together.

A young Hooded Merganser enjoyed the last sun before it disappeared behind the bluffs of the river valley. I tried to get close enough to separate the bird from a bunch of gulls sitting on the same log. Water lilies in the background give a sense of place without much explanation.

An old mossy tree root that has been a long time in the river already is the perfect place for a sun bath for this Painted Turtle. The water of the Mississippi main channel is far enough away for a nice blurred background.

With no water in the background the attention goes directly to the birds. The perspective from below eye level of the gulls and great light make this photo a keeper for me.

The same American White Pelican I showed you already a few days ago. Not the most exciting gesture but driftwood and bird are kissed by “killer light” of the setting sun.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

NATURE CLICKS #524 - BLACK TERN (FIRST SIGHTING!)

Black Terns, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

If this was a species I have photographed before or a very common bird, I would not show you this backlit picture, which definitely lacks some sharpness. BUT, this was the very first time that I even saw a Black Tern. Another first sighting for me! Joan was already back at the boat ramp in the marina at Mud Lake Park with our dog Cooper and unfortunately missed it. When I paddled back upstream to the marina I saw these four terns flying overhead. Hard to make a click with fast flying birds while in a kayak on choppy water. To my surprise they suddenly landed on the roots of a big tree trunk that had drifted into the mud near the shore of the Mississippi River. This is the best of the four clicks I was able to make before the Black Terns took off to the sky again. I went back to the river for another trip with the kayak this evening but none of the terns was present. I guess I had a lucky day yesterday… More to come, please stay tuned.

ON THE RIVER (FINALLY!)

Painted Turtle, Mud Lake, Mississippi River, Eastern Iowa

Gorgeous weather today made us loading the kayaks onto the roof of the car and open finally the kayak season for this year. Fifteen minutes later we launched a wonderful paddle trip in the warm light of the evening sun, down in the backwaters at the Mississippi River. Not much waterfowl in sight, because it’s breeding time, but eagles, pelicans, blackbirds, a couple herons, and of course a number of muskrats made still for good wildlife watching.

This Painted Turtle looks like it was running away from us, but it was only stretched out and put its rear end into the warm sun. I had all the shots I wanted on the memory card already when the turtle finally slid into the water because the distance became to close. My tactic is always to give the boat a little direction with some carefully executed paddle strokes, stop paddling, grab the camera, and fire away while still moving towards my subject. Sometimes I wedge the kayak between some logs or reeds and keep a stabile position while making the clicks. I said it more than once here in the blog, it is the low perspective in the boat that I really like. It puts me almost to eye level with the critter or bird and allows to shoot this kind of an environmental portrait.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/400 s, f/13, ISO 400

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #12 - STUDENT OF LIGHT

Mississippi River at Mud Lake Park and Marina, Iowa

I found a book under the Christmas tree, “Light on the Landscape” by William Neill, one of America’s most respected landscape photographers. It is a coffee table-style book with 128 wonderful photographs and comes with lessons incorporating photographic fundamentals, like light, composition, or exposure, but also other aspects, including nature stewardship, inspiration, self-improvement, and others. I just started reading but I’m already fascinated. One of the chapters talks about becoming a student of light and in particular at your own favorite locations over a long period of time.

For me one of these locations would be the entrance to the little marina down at Mud Lake by the Mississippi River. I have published many pictures from this vantage point on a dike and wrote about in the blog more than once that the light is never the same. There are times when I’m not even bother to take the camera out of the bag and others when I run to the end of the dike with the camera after getting out of the car, because light can change very quickly. I go to Mud Lake Park with our dog Cooper at least once a week, but even if no pictures are made, I always try to analyze why some things work and others don’t.

Same vantage point as the photo above but looking south. The main channel is behind the dike on the left. The backwaters of Mud Lake are one of our favorite places to paddle the kayak during the warm season.

William Neill writes about becoming an expert on a particular location. This may not fit a description about me yet, but any time I’m there I study the lighting conditions that occur, and absorb the beauty of the mighty Mississippi.

Today we had a pretty uniform overcast with no directional light but the different patches of snow, ice, and water created patterns that reflected the light in different ways and that we can see only at this time of the season when the river freezes over.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #8 - END OF SUMMER?

Mississippi Valley, Backwaters of Mud Lake, Iowa

As I’m writing this much needed rain is pouring down on us but it won’t be for very long until the small band of thunderstorms has moved out again. Colder air will move in shortly and we might see the end of the summer. Yesterday evening at the Mississippi River an interesting cloud was all what it took to trigger my desire to push the shutter release button of the camera. Maybe it was the announcement that summer will be over in a heartbeat…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @70 mm, 1/160 s, f/5.6, ISO200

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #7 - APPROACH BY KAYAK

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, near Mud Lake, Iowa

Daylight becomes shorter a little bit every day but the evenings are still long enough for a paddle trip on the Mississippi River. It was a very quiet evening today on the river. Birds and other wildlife is not as present as earlier in the season but we had some good moments. Many Bald Eagles nest along the river and this one is a local in the Mud Lake area. This log, stranded on a mud bank at the main channel of the river, was obviously a good perch for the eagle. It seemed to enjoy the setting sun as much as we did, but had surely an eye on the fish that comes near the surface. While I took some time to approach the eagle slowly with the camera, Joan had moved on and was rewarded with the brief sighting of an adult and a young river otter. Otters are not uncommon but we haven’t seen one in our area for quite some time.

Green Heron, Mississippi River, Backwaters of Mud Lake, Iowa

The backwaters of Mud Lake were not as easy to paddle as the main river this evening. Lots of aquatic plants, tons of duck weed, and some algae slowed us down quite a bit. This little Green Heron fits right into this habitat. They are not as common as the Great Blue Heron and having an opportunity to aim the lens at this bird is always a great treat.

All photos: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #5 - A LIVELY RIVER

This Muskrat, which is a semiaquatic rodent but actually not a member of the genus Rattus, swam right at me and was in interaction with a second one.

Many people enjoy the mighty Mississippi River during the summer weekends and the main channel becomes often very busy and noisy. As the day came to an end yesterday, the most motorized boats were gone and the river fell back into silence. I finally got the kayak into the water again and paddled Mud Lake, a backwater area that is separated from the main channel by an artificial, overgrown rock dam. Mud Lake is still connected with the big river but has very little current and is a wonderful nature area, in particular during this time of the season.

Bald Eagles, pelicans, herons, gulls, and geese fly up and down the river but it’s easier to photograph them from land. I wanted to see again what’s out there in and on the water and took dog Cooper and the long lens with me for a two-hour kayak trip.

Arrowheads that grow along the shore of the dam in the shallow water show their flowers. They produce tubers down in the mud that are an important food source for at least 15 species of ducks, snapping turtles, and muskrats, hence the name “duck potatoes”.

Shortly after I left the sandy boat ramp at Mud Lake Park this Northern Water Snake crossed in front of the kayak. I have seen them before but never took a picture from the boat. They are non venomous but may bite when agitated.

Mud Lake is covered by huge rafts of water lilies and make it a beautiful green habitat. Even some parts of the channel are overgrown with them this year and paddling through the big leathery leaves can be a challenge at times.

No paddle trip without seeing turtles. Most common at Mud Lake is the Painted Turtle. This one stretches its hind leg into the sun.

The water lilies are a great playground for the Red-winged Blackbirds. They find an ideal buffet of insects on the big leaves and blossoms. This female gave me a nice display.

YEARS IN THE MAKING

Moonrise over the Mississippi, Mud Lake, Iowa

Today’s photo was several years in the making. I had this shot in mind for a long time but quite a few things had to be true for this image. First I wanted the Mississippi River with an ice cover and with a fresh layer of snow on top. Of course, I needed a full moon and time of sunset and moonrise only a few minutes apart from each other. It was important to me to have a little glow on the rocks of the Wisconsin side of the river and also still some light left that filled the valley and gave the snow some structure. And last but not least it required a clear sky to make it all happen. As a bonus this evening there was no wind and the temperature was balmy -10 ºC / 14 ºF. What I didn’t expect, but really like, is the fact that the moon lightened the snow patches on top of the bluffs and make them stand out.

I have scheduled and tried this shot several times before over the years but quite often clouds were in the way or something else didn’t work out. At one time a few years ago I showed up a little bit early at bitter cold temperatures. Some moisture must have built up in the camera and about when the moon showed finally up over the horizon line, the shutter mechanism was probably frozen and the camera failed to do the job. Back home and after bringing the camera slowly back to room temperature and let it dry out, everything worked just fine again. I learned my lesson and today I made sure the camera didn’t undergo any sharp temperature changes (like from heating in the car) before the actual shooting.

Here is an app for your phone I can highly recommend for an event like this. The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) is a great planning tool and shows you exactly on a map where the moon or sun will rise or set and when the time is right to be ready for the shoot.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head, Vello cable release,   @200 mm, 1/8 s, f/8, ISO100

RETROSPECTS 2020 - #7

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

I work out of a home office, no matter what, and with not much business or leisure travel this year it is easy to get symptoms of the “cabin fever”. Usually this feeling occurs during long winter months and not in July and so I made it a habit to take our dog at lunch time and walk him at a place in nature. With the Mississippi only a few miles away and many other river valleys, little canyons, or patches of prairie not far either, it is just a matter of deciding where to go. As the avid readers of my blog already know, Mud Lake Park is one of my favorite places. Not only the closest spot to the mighty Mississippi from our home, but always with a chance to see wildlife or weather related drama in the sky. It hit me by surprise when I found this juvenile Bald Eagle sitting on a branch right above me.  A few days later I learned that the parents were actually feeding two young birds but that day I only saw one.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2020 #7 - RAINBOW BEFORE SUNSET

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Visiting the Mississippi River during the hour before sunset can always lead to a good surprise. A couple days ago we took our dog Cooper down to Mud Lake, one of his (and our) favorite places. The rain cloud you see in the second image moved in quickly from the northwest. The rain drops started falling and we rushed back to the car. Suddenly a full fledged rainbow appeared right over the big river. Who cares about a few drops, but the dilemma was that I had the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 on camera, too long to capture the full rainbow while it lasted. The compromise was to shoot one end in tall orientation as you see it here. 

I was hoping for more, ran back to the car and changed lenses quickly. The Nikkor 16-35, f/4 has everything what it needs for a full rainbow, but the cloud had moved on to the southeast and with it what was left of the rainbow. Still one of the occurrences that will be remembered on the positive side for this crazy year…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2020 #6 - IT’S ACTUALLY TWO OF THEM

Juvenile Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, iowa

Almost a month ago I told you about my encounter with a young Bald Eagle at Mud Lake down at the Mississippi River. This photo was made the same day and as mentioned before, I usually don’t walk up that close to an eagle but the bird saw me probably long before I discovered its presence on a low branch almost above me. A few days later I checked the place again, this time staying away a little further. To my surprise I found a second juvenile eagle, looking almost identical. The parents come still in and feed them. Last night I was again in the area and heard the parents interacting with their offspring. It’s a good year for them!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2020 #4 - REPEATING, NEVER TWICE THE SAME

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

The Dubuque Camera Club had a challenge on Facebook last month for submitting photos about the Mississippi River. Deadline was July 31st and I posted a photo of a storm cloud I took at Mud Lake Park some time ago, just an hour before the challenge ended, and repeated in my capture lines what I had said probably more than once before here in the blog, the MISSISSIPPI IS NEVER TWICE THE SAME.

Well, that statement was true even earlier the same day, when I created this image during almost high noon time. The clouds, some maybe made by airplane tracks, lined up with the landscape of the entry to the marina of Mud Lake. I have never seen it that way before and now my statement about the Mississippi River at Mud Lake IT’S NEVER TWICE THE SAME, maybe doesn’t sound just like a draw from the phrase book…

NATURE CLICKS #464 - IMMATURE BALD EAGLE

Young Bald Eagle from 2020, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Normally I don’t walk right up to a raptor that close, but I didn’t see the juvenile Bald Eagle perched on a low branch in the tree until I was just in front of the bird. I showed a photo back in April of the adult Bald Eagle still sitting on the nest and probably keeping a young one warm (Click HERE if you like to see that post again). Well, less than three months later the juvenile has pretty much adult size. For the first four years of their life Bald Eagles don’t have the iconic white head and white tail feathers. I moved in slow motion after I saw the eagle and the bird accepted my presence for about fifteen minutes before it took off and flew to another tree.

For today’s “lunch walk” with our dog Cooper at Mud Lake, down at the Mississippi River, I took the long lens on camera with me. It proved to be a good decision again, although noon hour in July is often not the best time for wildlife photography. I didn’t see the parents at all today but I’m sure they still bring food to the young bird.